Betting Game
by Flipper Boid Skua
Summary: Set before the TV series. A simple game, hunt, and deadly accident leads to a cross-species alliance between sharpteeth. The start of the Redclaw, Screech, and Thud team. R&R please!


Disclaimer: I don't own The Land Before Time Series or any of its characters.

Note: First LBT fanfic was better than I thought. Figured that I'll do more!

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Screech, Thud, and their sister, a purple Fast Biter named Shrill, watched as a large sharptooth chased after a Dome Head. The smaller predators were high on a pile of boulders, out of sight and out of reach. This was their territory, and the hunting sharptooth below was invading. However, the trio was hesitant to issue a challenge. You don't fight somebody twice your size...even if you outnumber him. Instead, they'll wait to see if this intruder was here to stay. Then they'll take proper action if nessecary.

Until then, they were content to just stay back and watch the action. It was early morning and they had yet to grab breakfast. There was no need to hunt when there's somebody to do the hunting for them...

"Bet the Leaf-eater gets away." Shrill stated with a mischeivous glint in her red eyes. She loved issuing gambles, as she's pratically the all-time champion. There were few days where she was ever defeated in this type of game. Thud sniffed disdainfully and looked at her with an all-knowing expression.

"You kidding? That Dome Head's as good as dead." He smirked. "Bet the best part of our next kill."

"You're on." Shrill accepted the wages. Screech sighed, knowing a game like this only leads to cheats and loopholes. This trio of Fast Biters were still young predators who spent more time playing than hunting. Still, they made a pretty good team when it came down to business.

"Either way," the blue member of the pack muttered with a yawn. "I'm starving and we'll get our share of that meal..."

--

The young Dome Head jumped straight into the air as the greyish brown sharptooth bent down with jaws open. Landing on the sniffer of its assaulter, the Leaf-eater tumbled off onto its back, staring at the giant predator with wide-eyed horror. It's never seen a sharptooth so big in its short life. It screamed as the sharptooth roared and scrambled quickly to its feet before taking off in a sprint for life. The ground it once stood on was stirred by the carnivore's massive mouth before being spat out.

There had to be an escape route somewhere. But where? Some place where it could fit...It could use its small size as its advantage. There was a rush of air at its tail as the sharptooth snapped and missed. The Dome Head again jumped into the air and spotted a very large pile of thorn bushes nearby. That could be its way out! Landing, it knew it needed more time and turned to face the sharptooth. It lowered its head and charged straight into the predator's leg.

--

The Fast Biter trio winced as the Leaf-eater made a comeback and they heard the sharptooth's roar of pain. They watched the Dome Head make another run for it right into a large tangle of thorny branches. The greyish sharptooth recovered quickly and stalked towards the bundle of needles. He sniffed the sharp plants and circled it intently, looking for gaps. No way was such a large sharptooth ever going to get in there. But it was a different story for Fast Biters.

The three saw their chance and carefully climbed down, making sure not to trip and have a clumsy entrance. Such a mistake can easily turn them into the prey of choice.

"You lose." Shrill reminded her brother as they reached the ground. Thud snorted, not at all pleased, as they cautiously circled the larger sharptooth. The predator spotted them and glared with cold yellow eyes. It was obvious that he didn't want them around. He looked at the throny tangle and turned away, walking off...giving up? The Fast Biters needed nothing better.

Screech and Thud rushed into the thorn plants and Shrill called out tauntingly to the large sharptooth, who turned back at her with a growl. "Hey, this is how it's done, Big Guy!"

"Shrill!" her brothers shouted and she immediately dove in. The three predators met up and sniffed quietly for signs of their prey. It was in here somewhere, and they'll find it. Not wanting to make their target more alarmed than it already was, they advanced carefully to avoid the sharp projections of the branches. Screech jerked his head to the right, signaling for Shrill to creep ahead in that direction. She nodded wordlessly and moved on.

Thud was instructed to go the opposite way of his sister and he offered no objection. When it came to the hunt, Screech was always in charge. After all, he hatched first...As for him, he lowered to the ground and crawled forward, following the trail of the frightened little Leaf-eater. It wasn't far...There it was...cowering with its eyes closed, oblivious to his presence...Not for long.

Screech growled menacingly, causing the Dome Head to snap its gaze up. Looking terrified, it turned around hastily and took off. Just as Screech had hoped. The Fast Biter gave chase, snapping at the air to keep the prey item going. Right into the first trap: Thud bounded from his hiding place and lashed out at the startled herbivore, who threw itself away. The green predator's jaws bit air as the crying youngster took off in another, hopefully safer direction...

It caught sight of a way out. Surely the original sharptooth it was trying to escape has left already. Just as the Leaf-eater was about to make its way free, the third Fast Biter leapt out and collided right into it.

Shrill shrieked in triumph as she held tight to their struggling breakfast. Screech and Thud caught up, grinning that their plan worked out splendidly, and was about to finish off their meal when Thud couldn't help making a point.

"Well, since this Dome Head didn't actually _escape_...It seems I won that bet." he said smugly. Shrill frowned, still keeping a tight grip on the weeping creature.

"But-"

"No excuses. I said it was as good as dead and..." He clamped his jaws around the Leaf-eater's neck, proceeding to shake the life out of the unfortunate beast. He then dropped the limp body to the ground. "..._now_ it's dead. _I_ win. _I_ get the best part."

But before Thud can indulge in his loophole victory, there was a roar and the Fast Biters looked up in horror to see that large sharptooth. They screamed and dashed out of the way as the larger predator bent down and snatched up their prize. The smaller carnivores watched in utter disbelief as the sharptooth swallowed THEIR entree!

"Hey!" Shrill protested angrily. The sharptooth looked down at them and gave an evil grin.

"THAT is how it's done." he hissed mockingly. Shrill growled at this backfiring of her words and, before her brothers could stop her, she ran forward to further confront the thief.

"Shrill, don't!" Screech and Thud warned, but it was too late. The giant sharptooth lunged forward and before they could blink, snatched the female in his jaws. The brothers gaped in utter horror at their sister's pain-filled scream. Feeling the need to protect their sibling, they also charged forward and jumped up into the air, latching onto the sharptooth's left side. Feeling their claws, the huge meat-eater roared in outrage, dropping the injured Fast Biter.

Screech climbed a bit higher on the sharptooth's head and dug the large killing-claw on his foot into flesh. With his signature screech of anger, he slashed deeply past the sharptooth's closed eye and down his neck. Thud picked up where he left off and continued the long gash onto the sharptooth's arm to his claw. Not wanting to pushed their luck, they leapt off hastily, snarling threateningly.

The sharptooth backed off a few steps and the Fast Biters took the opportunity to rush to their sister, who lay motionless on the ground.

"Shrill?" Thud inquired as Screech nudged the female's sniffer with his own. There was no reaction, even when blood began to puddle underneath her. The brothers refused to give up and tried to pull the other Fast Biter to her feet. She fell, as limp as their fallen prey moments before. The males stood stunned for a few seconds longer, as if still expecting something to happen. Maybe she's just unconscious and will wake up soon...even if she smells of death...

At last, Screech shook his head and Thud swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn't help feeling that it was his fault. If they hadn't issued that betting game, he wouldn't have paused to gloat his win. Then they probably would've had time to kill the Leaf-eater and drag it back to the thorn plants to eat in peace...But no...

Then, remembering the large sharptooth, they turned to the predator and backed away. The sharptooth was recovering from his injury, roaring in agony. But, catching the movement, he glared at them with one eye, baring his teeth. However, instead of attacking them like they expected, he gave a low dark chuckle. The remaining Fast Biters glanced quickly at each other in confusion, not sure what to make of this.

"Well, you two are tougher than you look. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage." he rumbled. Screech and Thud crouched low, ready to flee if he should strike out at them. Instead, the sharptooth continued, looking at the thorn plant. "Yes, I probably would've lost my prey if it wasn't for you numbskulls."

Screech and Thud exhaled sharply at the insult, but neither said anything.

"You two are the only ones to actually inflict injury on me. That's saying something. Maybe you're more useful to me alive than dead..."

The Fast Biters finally got what he was implying. They growled, thinking how horrible it would be to ally themselves to their sister's killer. But did they really want to same fate? When there's death in the Mysterious Beyond, you have to get over it quickly and move on quickly. Otherwise, you'll make yourself vulnerable.

"What's in it for us?" Screech asked suspeciously, his brother nodding with narrowed eyes. The sharptooth snorted, as if he wanted to tear them apart for asking such a thing.

"Life. And..." He glanced at Shrill's body and smirked. " Just imagine, I can make all sharpteeth like this if they messed with you."

He was offering them protection. The Fast Biters again looked at each other. They could see advantages if they extended pack membership to this sharptooth. They could obviously be a great help in hunting and flushing out prey...And with this predator, they'll be able to take food they never would've dreamed of, like Longnecks! They felt their mouths water at the thought of it. The sharptooth must've noticed, for he nodded.

"Good. It's a deal."

"Who are you, anyways?" Thud questioned, unable to hold it in any longer. The sharptooth paused, opening his now injured red eye. He looked down at his wounded arm and the claw that was already stained with his blood. For a moment, the Fast Biters thought he would get revenge on them, but he didn't. Instead, he growled out his answer.

"Call me Redclaw."

* * *

Thus, the start of a lethal team of carnivores. My version anyways...I'd love to see more work on this topic. Either way, I hope you review this! I'm looking forward to it...nervously!


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